NEWS RELEASE
DROP IN CRIME FOR 2006
|
|
2005 |
2006 |
% of Change |
|
Part I Crimes |
780 |
591 |
-24% |
|
Part II Crimes |
1,262 |
1,151 |
-9% |
Seaside
Police report a drop in Part I and Part II offenses reported to the FBI in 2006.
For reporting purposes, criminal offenses are divided into two groups: Part I
offenses and Part II offenses. In Part I, offense reported incidents are broken
in two categories: violent and property crimes. Aggravated assault, forcible rape, murder, and robbery
are classified as violent while arson, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft are classified as property
crimes. In 2006 these Part I offenses decreased by twenty-four percent (-24%),
most notably in Forcible Rapes (-350%), Burglaries (-25%), Theft (-24%), and Motor Vehicle Thefts (-29%). We did see
an increase in Robberies (5 to 8), assaults (13 to 14) and in Arsons (2 to 7).
Seaside Police also dealt with a Homicide in July of 2006 that led to the
arrest and conviction of the suspect.
In
Part II, the following categories are reported: simple
assault, curfew
offenses and loitering, embezzlement, forgery
and counterfeiting,
disorderly conduct, driving under
the influence, drug offenses, fraud, gambling,
liquor
offenses, offenses against the family, prostitution,
public drunkenness,
runaways,
sex offenses,
stolen property,
vandalism,
vagrancy,
and weapons
offenses. 2006 saw Part II offenses reduced by nine percent (-9%) which
included reductions in Simple assault (-5%), forgeries/counterfeiting (-26%),
frauds (-9%), stolen property (-33%), weapon laws (-10%), disorderly conduct
(-34%), sex offenses (-31%), and drugs (-20%). Vandalism was the only area
showing a significant increase from 286 reports in 2005 to 375 reports in 2006.
The
department was successful in clearing twenty-six (26%) of our Part I Crimes and
sixty-one percent (61%) of our Part II crimes.
The
Seaside Police are very pleased with these reductions in crime during 2006 and
the credit goes to the men and women on the department who worked hard to keep
the community safe and solve crime that was reported. We look forward to
working harder in 2007 to meet community needs and maintaining community
safety.
Some
things to look for in 2007 include increasing community partnership through a Citizen’s Academy,
developing a Merchant Alert Program, a Police Volunteer Program, developing a
Child Bicycle Safety Program and a Citizen Survey. We will work to improve our
efficiency and effectiveness through a review of our current criminal
investigation and follow-up procedures, improve training, update our Records
Management System and Computer Aided Dispatch, and listens to the citizens we
serve to identify the priorities they want us to work on. We thank all of you
who have called to report a crime or provide information that helped solve or
even prevent a crime. Without you our job would be even harder to do than it
is.
Robert Gross
Chief of Police